Admin
To the Editor:
I write to urge the Jackson County commissioners to follow the lead of the Franklin Town Board and place on their agenda for May 7 the Resolution to Amend [the Constitution] presented to them on April 2nd. This action would put them in the company of county and town boards across the state and country — toward the goal of reversing the 2010 Supreme Court Citizens United decision. That ruling granted rights of “Personhood” to corporations and bestowed to their money the advantage of unlimited “free speech.” It effectively has robbed human citizens of our vote.
The proposed 28th amendment would nullify that ruling and re-create — for the 99 percent — a level playing field. Franklin’s board voted unanimous approval. Corporations now control not only our economy, but our elections. Beyond elections, corporate lobbyist control the votes of the very representatives whose elections they engineered.
Yet Congress is the body we elect to keep the corporations in check. To me, this circle of dominance is a cruel joke on “we the people.”
Make no mistake: this is a local issue. Corporations not only wield negative power over our air and water, but plunder underground resources and — most immediately — they own our economy. At March’s end, Jackson County’s unemployment was at 11.7 percent. Each year change becomes more difficult for our children and grandchildren’s future.
Leaders of our county, exert the leadership invested in you by your constituents —place this resolution on your agenda and vote ‘Yes’ to send this resolution to the N.C. General Assembly.
Lucy Christopher
Cashiers
To the Editor:
Kudos to the Franklin Board of Aldermen for unanimously passing a resolution calling on the North Carolina General Assembly to petition Congress that the U.S. Constitution be amended to firmly establish that human beings, not corporations, are persons.
In colonial days, before our nation’s founding, England empowered corporations to plunder colonial resources and gave them privilege and power far beyond that of the colonists. In 1776, the American revolutionists rose against the Crown and its corporations to bring into being a new nation free of these oppressive forces. Given the colonists’ unpleasant experiences, it is no wonder that our Constitution does not mention corporations and our Bill of Rights protecting our human inalienable rights grants no such rights to corporations.
Throughout the decades following the Revolution, court rulings (not legislation) began eroding the freedom from corporate tyranny for which our forefathers fought and died. In 1886, the Supreme Court sanctioned “corporate personhood” in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad. Ever since, corporate-artificial-non-human entities have used the court sanctioned “personhood” doctrine to trump rights of humans. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), just one in a series of rulings relying upon the false notion of corporate “personhood,” grants rights to corporations while trampling our human inalienable rights.
The early American experience demonstrates that corporations can thrive without “personhood.” We can free our governance from the shackles of corporate rule. It is time for a new revolution.
I call upon all Western North Carolina municipal governments to follow the lead of Franklin’s Board in passage of the same resolution – humans, not corporations, are persons.
Dr. Allen Lomax
Sylva
To the Editor:
In a recent letter to the editor John Edwards attacks District 4 County Commissioner Candidate Marty Jones.
Edwards’ criticism was very predictable and fails to mention a very insightful and refreshing idea from a recent interview with Marty Jones. In the interview, Jones states he wants to see incentives interwoven with sound development practices. Unless one feels that there should be no construction industry in the county, incentives seem to be a very fair and unique compromise, which we should expect from a leader. With land use controls in place, it seems Marty Jones has an idea to address the 9.5 percent unemployment rate in a sensible manner in support of working families in Jackson County.
Edwards also implies that candidate Marty Jones does not support protection of the environment and our natural beauty. Jones has written numerous articles in support of the outdoors and wildlife. To portray him as someone who wants to destroy the mountain way of life is not only inaccurate but absurd.
Readers should know that Edwards is a retired builder who benefited during the heyday of Jackson County growth when it was unregulated. Now he supports regulations that he could not possibly have adhered to. Sounds hypocritical to me!
Carol Adams
Glenville
To the Editor:
My, that was quite a headline on Margery Abel’s letter appearing in the March 28 edition of the Franklin Press. “Buying local elections – this is how FreedomWorks.” The headline is as fallacious as the story that followed. Where to start? Ms. Able is apparently still smarting over Sen. Jim Davis’ defeat of John Snow.
For openers, Ms. Abel states “FreedomWorks, a national organization, funds local candidates for election who will promote its agenda.” Our agenda, so you will know what she is talking about, is “Lower Taxes, Less Government, More Freedom.” Shame on us. Evidently Ms. Abel advocates “Higher Taxes, More Government, Less Freedom.”
She says, “The Supreme Court decision, Citizens United, allows corporations to contribute unlimited campaign funds to candidates.” The North Carolina 2012 Campaign Finance Manual states, “It is unlawful for any corporation, business activity, labor union, professional association or insurance company to directly or indirectly contribute to a candidate.”
She says, “”Evidence points to individuals locally connected to FreedomWorks contacting area Democrats to recruit a candidate for the upcoming primary.” Ms. Able, I challenge you to present your evidence. Such a person should be outed.
She says, “In 2010 Jim Davis, backed by corporate funding, defeated John Snow, who was funded mainly by local donations. Of the $569,409 in Snow’s campaign expenditures, $56,757, or (9.97 percent), was provided by local donations. Davis spent less, and had a greater percentage provided by local donations.
A few years ago, a number of us FreedomWorks people visited then Sen. Snow in his office in Raleigh. I showed him a graph showing the ever-increasing state expenditures for education. The slope was at such an alarming rate, at some point it would consume the entire state budget. I asked him what the answer was in slowing down the rate of spending. “There is no answer” was his reply. This may explain how the state budget got so far out of whack. You may not like them, but there are answers and they are being legislated.
As for FreedomWorks locally, we meet once a month, and for the past several months, our programs have consisted of presentations by candidates for various offices in the upcoming election. Questions and answers follow and we learn, first hand, the values, strengths and weaknesses of each. By the time to vote comes along, we are prepared. When elections aren’t in play, we have speakers educating us on important issues at our meetings.
Our November meeting is annually reserved for a report from Sheriff Holland, who leaves with a substantial contribution for “Shop with a Cop,” collected from our members. We have traveled to Raleigh and Washington to share our thoughts with elected officials. We have sponsored several patriotic rallies in Franklin, where honoring our country and promoting freedom is our agenda.
This, Ms. Abel, is how FreedomWorks in Macon County.
Don Swanson,
Director, Macon County FreedomWorks
Franklin
To the Editor:
Ruin your life. Paralyze your mind. Impair your higher thinking. Make poor judgements imbalanced by intoxication due to alcohol.
Should you vote “no” to legalization of liquor on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians land on April 12?
I am Cherokee and I have three bottles of wine and two beers in my home, yet I believe making it legal will be like a match to dynamite. Ease of access to alcohol is beyond our moral thinking. What is the pure consciousness telling you in your heart of hearts? To be or not to be? Drunk, or just high? A buzz?
We are a great tribe and ought to lead the nation. However, the list goes on of enormous problems due to alcohol on Native American reservations. This is no secret. Talk to your mental health authorities about the effects in particular on Native Americans. It doesn’t do anything except bring about problems you’ve never dreamed of and costs to repair the damages to our tribe. Forget the visitors, they go back home, and we have a weakness for alcohol that will be everlasting.Think about it, yes or no.
Alcohol is not native to this culture and it’s something not sustainable or healthy to ourselves. This is a type of spirit that doesn’t nourish our people as proven in the past and present. What would all our elders want us to do that lived here centuries ago.
Wealth can be a positive thing, but not at our people’s depredation. Think about it. If our economy is causing this desperation to bring in more capital, then shame on us. I strongly want us to be better examples to our youth, to earn money via education and wholesome enthusiasm about our culture and sobriety.
Spread the wealth. Don’t let your higher thinking depress you into believing we need to earn all the money in North Carolina. We are so fortunate to be allowed gambling and alcohol in our casino, so what’s wrong with us to keep wanting more, more, and more.
Janice Foltz Ander
Member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee,
Cherokee
To the Editor:
The President’s budget will “never” balance, or reduce spending, or reduce our borrowing. So, no one — not even one Democrat or Republican — voted for President Obama’s budget. The vote was 414 to 0. No compromise.
Are you asking why there is no compromise in Congress? The President’s budget has a starting point of never balancing. Is that really a budget if you always spend more than you have?
So when the President asks for compromise, then he must start at a point where most Americans can agree. I hear liberals say that conservatives will not compromise. Well, the liberal Democrats would not compromise either on President Obama’s budget.
America is right of center. So the middle ground is conservative, the left of center is conservative, the right of center is conservative.
Is it possible that the left of center is still conservative in America? Yes. You may not like it, but the progressive left is far outside the main stream middle of American thought.
What does it mean, right of center? It means that to the left (and the right) of the center are conservatives. It means that America wants government to live with in its means. They want the waste stopped. They believe they are taxed enough. Compromise to spend more than we have? We say no.
Right of center Americans believe in the rule of law. But wait, we have so many laws that each American is now committing three felonies a day. We were law-abiding citizens but now no one can be law abiding. Congress has been acting outside the Constitution. The liberal left asks for compromise to pass more unconstitutional laws controlling every aspect of our lives. We say no.
Right of center Americans believe the government can’t solve every problem. When the liberal left asks for class warfare and attacks people that work, the middle class working people say no. Why give more to a government that wastes our money?
Compromise needs to be right of center. Then you will see people on both sides of the aisle working together towards compromise. You will see the approval rating of Congress on the rise. Because right of center is where most Americans live, and even left of center is still conservative territory. You must go far left to get past the conservative center mark in America.
Lynda Bennett
Maggie Valley
A morning of free bridal workshops featuring local wedding merchants will be held at 9:45 a.m., April 21, at Twin Maples Farmhouse in Waynesville.
Brides will hear from experts and wedding professionals through a series of short workshops on attire, decorations and catering. Workshops will begin promptly at 10 a.m. RSVP to “Details for the Day,” by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Help battle the AIDS disease April 26 by dining out at one of 108 restaurants in Western North Carolina. This fundraiser will support the Western North Carolina AIDS Project. Participating restaurants in the Haywood/Jackson area are, in Waynesville: Chef’s Table, Frog’s Leap Tavern, Old Stone Inn Mountain Lodge and Panacea Coffeehouse; and in Sylva: City Lights Café, Guadalupe’s Café & Soul Infusion Tea House. Joey’s Pancake House will host their event in Maggie Valley on Saturday April 28. These restaurants will donate 20 percent of their daily sales. www.wncap.org/dofl
Two communities can see the finish line on respective dog parks: Franklin and Sylva.
The Friends of the Greenway in Macon County are making progress on the construction of a dog park to be located beside the Big Bear Playground parking lot in Franklin. By mid-May, the fencing should be installed, and benches, trash cans and signs with dog park rules will be in place.
This dog park will be enclosed with five-foot chain link fence and divided into two sections, one for larger animals and one for smaller pets. A park entry area will be included for dog owners to leash and unleash their dogs safely. Other features such as dog agility equipment may be added in the future.
In Sylva, county officials have agreed to build a dog park in Mark Watson Park. Additional fencing for a no-leash area for dogs will be installed between the new sidewalk and outfield fence. The park will be 8,670-square-feet in size.
A draft strategic plan for Western Carolina University will be the subject of a public forum at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 17, in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center.
The Western Carolina University’s 2020 Commission, a 36-member committee leading a strategic planning process to guide the university’s direction and development during the next decade, assembled the draft plan.
The plan next goes to the WCU Board of Trustees for endorsement at its meeting in June.
The forum is one of the few remaining pieces of a strategic planning process announced last August by Chancellor David O. Belcher in his Opening Assembly address to launch the 2011-12 academic year. Strategic planning is intended to help the university sharpen its institutional focus by identifying what programs and activities it will pursue, as well as those programs and activities it will not pursue during the next 10 years or so, said Melissa Wargo, chair of the 2020 Commission.
The First United Methodist Church of Sylva will hold an Alzheimer’s disease awareness event from 1-7 p.m., April 21, in honor of Debbie Ginn, a longtime former organist at the Church.
Debbie is in the last stages of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. This event is will provide funds so that she may continue to be cared for at home, as well as raise awareness about the disease. Barbecue will be served, and there will be a bake sale and more.
The public can find out where candidates for county commissioner stand on various issues at noon on Thursday, April 12, at a League of Women Voters forum.
Three seats are available on the commission. All six primary candidates plan to participate in the forum. Primary election day is May 8.
The program will be held at Tartan Hall in Franklin. Lunch is available at noon, by reservation.
828.371.0527 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Mike Clampitt, Republican candidate for the 119th House District, will hold a “Meet and Greet” from 4-7 p.m. Saturday, April 28, at the Herren House in Waynesville. This is an informal gathering and serves as an opportunity for voters to meet Clampitt and other candidates. District 119 is made up of Jackson County, Swain County and 11 precincts in Haywood County.
828.736.6222
Cherokee Preservation Foundation has awarded 24 new grants totaling $1.8 million that support cultural preservation, economic development, job creation and environmental preservation.
They include:
• A grant to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Emissaries of Peace, host the Southeast Tribes Festival and continue the Snowbird Cherokee language camp.
• A grant to help the EBCI Tribal Government achieve greater energy, fuel and water efficiency and lead efforts to create a more sustainable environment. This includes the purchase of a pilot group of five highly fuel efficient vehicles for tribal departments; the retrofit of 10 buildings and completion of the solar thermal installation on the Ginger Lynn Welch facility; and the purchase of two rainwater cisterns.
• A grant that will enable the new Cherokee Children’s Home to include a number of green components that will pay for themselves over time, including geothermal heating and cooling.
• A grant that will enable Swain County Schools to develop a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum plan that is entrepreneurial-based.
• Grants to continue to support the Cherokee Youth Council as it promotes leadership development opportunities and to establish new youth councils in Clay and Cherokee counties that are modeled after the Cherokee Youth Council.
• A grant that will enable the Oconaluftee Institute of Cultural Arts (OICA) to offer a summer art program for high schools students.
The second kick-off in Macon County for Lighten Up for Life will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 28, at the Franklin High School Gymnasium.
The LU4L program is a free weight loss challenge that is entirely web-based. The program is sponsored by Angel Medical Center and Macon County Public Health.
Four-person teams compete with others to lose the largest percentage of weight when compared with their competitors. At the conclusion of the challenge, the top three teams who have lost the highest percentage of weight receive prizes. The team who was the top winner during the first challenge all received Kindle Fires and a three-month free membership to Franklin Fitness for their families.
828.349.2426 or 828.349.6639.
A golf tournament will be held starting at 9 a.m. on May 12 at Smoky Mountain Country Club in Whittier to support hospital chaplaincy programs and spiritual care.
The tournament is sponsored by MedWest Health System and is a four-man captain’s choice.
Registration is from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start. A barbecue lunch will be served at 1:30 p.m. The tournament includes hole-in-one prizes, goody bags and a putting contest for a golf membership. Individual player tickets are $100 each. Sponsorships include corporate sponsor for $600, team sponsor for $400, a hole sponsor for $150 and a tee sponsor for $100.
828.631.8924 or www.medwesthealth.org.
The famed Pisgah-Tuscola rivalry will renew itself six months sooner than usual as alumni from both schools take to the field again in support of the Canton Lions Club at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at Pisgah Memorial Stadium.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 6-17, $5 for men and women in uniform and free for children under 5. Preceding the game will be children’s activities, including a “Pass and Dash” competition sponsored by Carolina Pawn and Gun. Signups begin at 3:30 p.m. outside of the stadium. The gates will open at 4 p.m. and the “Pass and Dash” will begin at 4:30 p.m. As part of the fundraiser, the Canton Lions Club will operate the concession stand and offer sandwiches, hotdogs, snacks and drinks before the game.
The Canton Lions Club is looking for sponsors for this event.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
On April 19th, the next installment of the Appalachian variety show The Liars Bench will focus on the hanging of Jack Lambert in Bryson City on July 9, 1884.
The hanging made The New York Times after many became suspicious that the accused murderer did not die during the hanging.
The performance is the second installment of the “Balsam Chronicles,” featuring stories from the counties that make up the Balsams — Jackson, Swain and Haywood. This installment is called “Hangman, Hangman Slack Your Rope” and is set for 7 p.m. on April 19 at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center.
To read an article written by Gary Carden about the Lambert hanging, visit: www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/10_01/10_31_01/mountain_voices_carden.shtml.
Public art classes in both glassblowing and metalworking are being offered at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro this spring.
April 14-15:
• Glass Landscape Paperweight, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in 30-minute slots. Cost is $25.
• Introduction to Chainmaille Jewelry, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Cost is $85 for both days.
• Chainmaille Armor: Coif Construction, 2-6 p.m. Cost is $85 for both days.
April 21:
• Glass Ruffle Bowl, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in one-hour slots. Cost is $50.
828.631.0271 or www.JCGEP.org.
The Overlook Theatre Company will present “How Sweet It Is,” a musical dessert theater, at 7 p.m. on April 21 and April 26 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $20.
The show will include a five-course dessert menu prepared by Chef Connie Grubermann of Oak Hill Country Inn and Faith Drake at The Boiler Room and a cast of characters singing songs from the past 100 years. The menu will feature fruit soup, strawberry/pretzel salad, bread pudding with vanilla sauce, cheesecake with fresh fruit and chocolate mousse.
The Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce, Snow Hill Inn and Cat Creek Lodge are co-sponsoring the event.
Tickets are available at Dalton’s Bookstore, the center’s box office or online at www.greatmountainmusic.com.
The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar entitled “Marketing for the Craftsperson & Artist,” from 6-9 p.m. on April 17 in the Student Center, first floor.
The hands-on seminar will aid the craftsperson or artist in developing a marketing plan aimed at increasing sales and profit. The workshop will focus on: how to let the world know about you and your craft; how to keep track of expenses to ensure your profitability; pricing to ensure survival and what to do if your product isn’t selling; and how to approach independent shops and galleries.
The presenter is Linda Rozelle of Greensboro. Rozelle has a diverse background in commercial art, has designed hundreds of corporate identity programs nationwide and has been nationally recognized for excellence in advertising.
Pre-register. 828.627.4512.
The Second Sunday Contra Dance will take place from 2:30-5 p.m. on April 15. The dance will be held at the Bridge Park Pavilion on Railroad Avenue in Sylva and will be followed by a potluck dinner at 5:30. Bring a covered dish, plate, cup and cutlery and a water bottle.
Ron Arps will call the dance to the music of Out of the Woodwork. All dances are done to live music, and local musicians are invited to sit in with the band to jam and learn how to play music for dancing.
No previous experience with contra dancing is necessary, and all dances will be taught and walked through before dancing. No partner is required.
Contra dancing is a form of English country dancing and uses many of the same figures as square dancing such as circles, stars and swings.
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Jeff Foxworthy will take the stage at 7:30 p.m., April 14, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts as part of a benefit for Compassion International, a Christian-based organization that advocates for children in more than 26 countries. The benefit will raise money for the children in Africa.
Foxworthy has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, is a best-selling author of 11 books, a TV and radio host, and an actor. His comedy act explores the humor of everyday family interactions and human nature.
All proceeds from Foxworthy’s performance will go to Compassion’s WASH Initiative, which aims to reduce waterborne diseases that kill more young children than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Tickets start at $39 each.
866.273.4615 or GreatMountainMusic.com.
The youth choir, Voices in the Laurel, will hold its second annual Great Car and Truck Give Away from now until May 26.
The ticket price is $100 per ticket with a maximum of 1,000 available tickets. The selected winner can win a 2012 Ford F-150 Truck or a 2012 Ford Fiesta plus $15,000 for gas or $30,000. Both vehicles are being provided by Taylor Motor Company in Waynesville.
Entrants must be 18 years old or older to order a ticket.
The fundraiser will provide the necessary funds to operate, give scholarships and begin an endowment fund for future generations of Voices members, as well as contribute to the chorister’s tour accounts.
The grand prize drawing will take place at 8 p.m. on June 2.
www.voicesinthelaurel.org or 828.335.2849.
The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center will host a festival celebrating ramps from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 28.
Craft vendors will cover the Stecoah grounds, and from 1-3 p.m., visitors will have the opportunity to learn traditional Cherokee finger weaving from Shirley Welch. Paula Nelson will present traditional Cherokee songs and stories from 6:15-7:15 p.m. outside on the pavilion. All of these events are free to the public.
The event will conclude with the annual ramp dinner and concert. There will be two dinner seatings, one at 5:30 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. The menu includes roasted pork loin, ramp/potato home fries, sautéed fresh greens, baked apples and corn bread. Dinner price is for $15.95 adults, $9.95 for children 12 and under. Dessert is an additional $2.50. Reservations are required.
At 7:30 p.m., listen to My Highway in concert in the Lynn L. Shields Auditorium. Tickets are $10 adults; $5 students (K-12); Children under 5 are free.
Festival vendor applications are available in the Stecoah Gallery. The center is located on Schoolhouse Road off N.C. 28 between Bryson City and Fontana Dam.
828.479.3364 or stecoahvalleycenter.com.
The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center will host a festival celebrating ramps from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 28.
Craft vendors will cover the Stecoah grounds, and from 1-3 p.m., visitors will have the opportunity to learn traditional Cherokee finger weaving from Shirley Welch. Paula Nelson will present traditional Cherokee songs and stories from 6:15-7:15 p.m. outside on the pavilion. All of these events are free to the public.
The event will conclude with the annual ramp dinner and concert. There will be two dinner seatings, one at 5:30 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. The menu includes roasted pork loin, ramp/potato home fries, sautéed fresh greens, baked apples and corn bread. Dinner price is for $15.95 adults, $9.95 for children 12 and under. Dessert is an additional $2.50. Reservations are required.
At 7:30 p.m., listen to My Highway in concert in the Lynn L. Shields Auditorium. Tickets are $10 adults; $5 students (K-12); Children under 5 are free.
Festival vendor applications are available in the Stecoah Gallery. The center is located on Schoolhouse Road off N.C. 28 between Bryson City and Fontana Dam.
828.479.3364 or stecoahvalleycenter.com.
The reality show “Auction Kings” will be at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino on April 28.
Auction Kings is one of Discovery Channel’s favorite reality shows and showcases one of the country’s most storied auction houses, Gallery 63, and its owner Paul Brown. Guests have the chance to get their items appraised by Paul Brown or one of his team members. Bring in your item for appraisal at 2 p.m. and receive a drawing ticket as you enter the Event Center. If your number is drawn then you are one of the lucky people to have your item appraised. The free live auction begins at 7:30 p.m.
You must be 21 years or older to attend.
Maggie Valley Festival Grounds will host a combination of the Great Smoky Mountain Trout & Heritage Festival and PlottFest this year from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., April 21.
The festival will showcase the Plott hound, trout fishing, food, local crafts and clogging. The event, which will benefit Head Start Mountain Projects, will also feature a dog show, book signing by author Bob Plott and music from Balsam Range.
Other activities include:
• Youth fishing clinics from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Pre-registration is required
• A trout race, where wooden replicas are tossed into a creek, and the first five fish to cross the finish line get a prize, will start at 5 p.m.
Lady and the Old Timers will perform from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., April 19, at the Macon County Library in Franklin.
The band plays at the Macon County Library in Franklin every first and third Thursday. The Lady and the Old Timers Band is composed of one lady and seven self-described old timers. They play gospel and traditional country tunes. Members include vocalist Delia Sears along with Fred Kirkland, Jim Hite, and Jim Brown on guitar; Carl Sears on bass; “Wild Bill” Jackson on harmonica; Robert Bradley on mandolin; and Roy Ramsey on dobro.
828.524.3600.
The nine undergraduate percussion students who make up the Western Carolina University Percussion Ensemble will present a free concert at 7:30 p.m., April 17, in the recital hall of WCU’s Coulter Building.
The group will perform under the direction of Mario Gaetano, professor of percussion in WCU’s School of Music.
The ensemble presents music composed or arranged for percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals, timpani, xylophones and marimbas. Works to be featured at the concert include compositions by Gaetano, Scott Meister, Nathan Daughtrey, Robert Keagle, Phil Faini and Steve Riley.
828.227.7242.
The Smoky Mountain Brass Band, an authentic British style brass band, will perform at 6 p.m., April 22, at Hazelwood Baptist Church in Waynesville.
The 30-member band and conductor John Entzi will perform a wide variety of musical styles, from marches to classical and classic British brass band repertoire — to jazz, pops and hymn tunes. The concert is free to the public.
The program will also feature Jason Bullock, one of the band’s fine euphonium soloists, in a classic band piece titled “Song of the Brother” as well as a beautiful brass band arrangement of Gabriel’s Oboe from the movie “The Mission.”
The next show in the Songwriters-in-the-Round series is scheduled for April 14 and will features Shawn Camp, Shannon Whitworth and Phillip Lammonds.
Tickets are $45 each and include a delicious buffet dinner.
Visit The Balsam Inn’s website for more information about their current menus. The inn will soon add select local cheeses to its roster of locally grown ingredients.
855.456.9498 or balsammountaininn.net.
The Western Carolina Chorus will perform its spring concert at 4 p.m., April 15, in the Coulter Recital Hall at Western Carolina University.
The eclectic program, directed by Robert Holquist, includes works by Pergolesi, Faure, Telemann, Vaughan Williams, Rollo Dilworth and Henry Mollicone. Barbara Dooley will accompanied the chorus, and a chamber orchestra will accompany the baroque compositions. The program is free to the public.
The Groovy Movie Club will show the film “The Iron Lady” at 7 p.m. on April 13.
A mostly organic potluck dinner will precede the screening at 6:15 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public, and it meets the second or third Friday of every month. The mission of the Groovy Movie Club is to show excellent films, both feature and documentary, with a message. A discussion will follow for all who wish to participate.
The screening will take place at Buffy Queen’s green, solar-powered home in Dellwood.
828.926.3508 or 828.454.5949 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Artwork created by students at East Franklin and Cartoogechay Elementary schools is on display until April 20 in the lobby of the Macon County Public Library.
The show entitled “Nature Inspired and Student Created Art Work” has 53 entries from students, under the direction of art teacher Naomi Albee, and includes the colorful selection of landscapes, autumn trees, leaf prints and cheery sunflowers.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy Community of Franklin, Nantahala Hiking Club, Macon County Public Schools and Macon County Public Library sponsored the show and hosted a reception for the students on March 26.
828.396.9971
James, a.k.a. “Doodle,” and Karin Lyle will perform at 3 p.m. on April 15 at the Canton library as part of the Haywood County Arts Council’s Sunday Concert Series.
The concert blends the musical talents of Doodle and Karin and a “Chalk Talk” component by Doodle of his cartoon creation, Muggzy the Penguin.
Karin married James, moved to North Carolina and became a music teacher. She plays more than 22 instruments. She is also the author of a number of music instruction books and has performed on many music recordings.
James grew up in Western North Carolina, spending his childhood emulating various comic book characters and musical groups. Besides playing music, James is a professional cartoonist and artist. His work has been published in comic books and magazines in the U.S. and abroad.
Both the Franklin and Bryson City libraries will host meetings of its anime clubs this month.
The Franklin library in will hold the inaugural meeting of its new anime club from 3-5 p.m., April 20.
The group will watch anime movies and eat popcorn. They will also make plans for future events candy sushi making, cosplay and other Japanese-themed activities.
The Bryson City library’s anime club will show a sci-fi mystery movie and several popular Japanese TV programs starting at 11 a.m., April 14.
Both events are free and open to the public.
828.524.3600.
Haywood Community College is a finalist in the Second Nature 2012 Climate Leadership Awards, a national competition among colleges and universities to earn the title of “Most Innovative Climate Leader.”
HCC is the only college in North Carolina that was named as a finalist and one of 20 nationwide.
“It is an honor for HCC to be recognized as a finalist for this prestigious award and for its community-based approach to teaching, practicing, and modeling sustainability,” HCC President Rose Johnson said. “Plus, it is wonderful that the community has a chance to view and vote for HCC’s sustainability video, which is part of this competition.”
HCC and other finalists have produced and posted a sustainability video that can be viewed at www.planetforward.org/climate-leadership-awards. The public is urged to vote for HCC through April 14. The finalists with the most votes will be profiled by Planet Forward’s “Move the Planet” conference the week of April 16.
A workshop focused on life science research being conducted in the mountain region will be offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in Western Carolina University’s A.K. Hinds University Center.
WCU and the western office of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center are co-hosting the workshop. It is part of the biotechnology center’s “Science in the Mountains” series, will feature a couple of keynote addresses in the University Center theater.
Laura Georgi, a pathologist and research scientist for the American Chestnut Foundation, will speak at 9:15 a.m. on “New Tools for a Monumental Task: Application of Biotechnology to Restoration of the American Chestnut.”
Bruce Budowle, executive director of the Institute of Investigative Genetics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, will deliver a 1:30 p.m. address focusing on “Forensic Genetics and Molecular Methods for Assessing Biodiversity: A Look at the Past, Present and Future.”
A series of eight talks will be delivered throughout the day by faculty members and researchers from WCU and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Poster presentations will be given by students and faculty members from WCU, Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
The workshop is open to everyone and registration is free. Lunch and refreshments also will be provided for free. The deadline for registering is Thursday, April 5. For more information or to register, go to the website http://events.signup4.net/molecules.
A hike into the usually closed 8,600-acre Waynesville Watershed is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, April 21.
Twice a year guided hikes are offered to allow residents and interested citizens an opportunity to view the property first-hand. This first hike of the year will conclude by 2 p.m. Naturalist Don Hendershot, Peter Bates of Western Carolina University and Blair Ogburn, senior naturalist with Balsam Mountain Trust, will lead the hike, which is a three- to five-mile trek in moderately strenuous terrain.
Hikers should bring their own lunch, water, appropriate clothing, hat, rain gear and wear sturdy shoes. Birders should also bring their binoculars. The group will leave from the Waynesville Water Plant, and directions will be sent upon registration. No pets allowed. 828.452.2491 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn how the Boogerman Loop got its unique name, walk along old stone walls that once protected gardens and home sites, and visit towering hemlock and tulip trees on the next guided hike with Friends of the Smokies at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 19.
Hiking enthusiast and author Danny Bernstein will lead this 8.6-mile hike along the Boogerman Loop, interpreting the cultural history of the area. The hike is moderate in difficulty, and has a total elevation gain of 1,800 feet.
Participants will gather to depart from Waynesville. The meeting location will be specified upon registration. Hikers should come prepared with food, water and appropriate hiking gear for the all-day excursion.
A donation of $35 to go to the Friends’ Smokies Trails Forever program is requested and includes a complimentary membership to Friends of the Smokies. A donation of $10 is requested from current Friends of the Smokies members. Members who bring a friend hike for free.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720.
New volunteers to help form a national network of home-based and amateur rain spotters are needed.
This is part of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network, or CoCoRaHS, which came about as a result of a devastating flash flood that hit Fort Collins, Colo. in July 1997.
CoCoRaHS was born the next year with the intent of doing a better job of mapping and reporting intense storms. As more volunteers participated, rain, hail, and snow maps were produced for every storm showing fascinating local patterns that were of great interest to scientists and the public.
Through CoCoRaHS, thousands of volunteers, young and old, document the size, intensity, duration and patterns of rain, hail and snow by taking simple measurements in their own backyards.
Volunteers may obtain an official rain gauge through the CoCoRaHS website (http://www.cocorahs.org) for about $27 plus shipping. Besides the need for an official 4-inch plastic rain gauge, volunteers are required to take a simple training module online and use the CoCoRaHS website to submit their reports. Observations are immediately available on maps and reports for the public to view. The process takes only five minutes a day, but the impact to the community is tenfold: By providing high quality, accurate measurements, the observers are able to supplement existing networks and provide useful results to scientists, resource managers, decision makers and other users.
Go to the CoCoRaHS website above and click on the “Join CoCoRaHS” emblem on the upper right side of the main website.
White-nose syndrome, a deadly disease responsible for the deaths of millions of bats in eastern North America, has been discovered in Haywood County.
The disease was confirmed this month by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in bats collected from an abandoned mine. It was previously discovered in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in a retired Avery County mine, a cave at Grandfather Mountain State Park, a McDowell County cave, an abandoned mine in Yancey County, and near the Commission’s Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Transylvania County.
“We and our conservation partners are focusing resources on collaborative efforts, including monitoring the spread of the disease, monitoring North Carolina bat populations, and finding ways to address the effects of the disease on bat populations,” said Chris McGrath, wildlife diversity program coordinator with the commission.
The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome has been detected on nine species of bats so far in North America. In North Carolina, 17 species of bats are known to occur, and eight of those are species on which the fungus has been detected nationwide. Three species in North Carolina have been documented with the disease.
Registration is now open for a bunny run, 5K and 10K at Lake Junaluska starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 7, at Weldon Gym at the Methodist conference and retreat center.
The race is part of the center’s Saturday Easter celebration that includes an Easter egg hunt for all ages. Race day entry is $25 and is open until 8 a.m.. Kids ages 12 and under compete for free.
Overall awards will be presented to the top three male and female runners and the top three masters (40 and older) male and female in each race. Age group awards will be awarded to the top three male and female in the various age groups.
Proceeds from the race will go to The Junaluskans for maintenance of the trail surrounding Lake Junaluska.
Beginning April 24, kids in Haywood County will have an opportunity to be a part of a national running program that focuses on character-development and physical training for a local distance race.
Registration will be held on April 7 from 7:30-10:30 a.m. at the Lake Junaluska Bunny Run registration site.
Haywood County Recreation and Parks will begin offering a youth running program called Ready, Set, Run! This is a character-building running program that trains kids ages 8-13 to participate in a distance run. This curriculum-based program is designed to equip kids with the physical training and goal-setting mentality needed to accomplish their running goals. Issues such as enhancing confidence and self-esteem, respecting authority, dealing with peer pressure and fueling their bodies through proper nutrition are covered during the 12-week session.
Kids enrolled will meet twice a week from 4-5:30 p.m. at various parks and running areas such as Allens Creek Park and Canton Recreation Park. The program will culminate with the running of the Folkmoot Race on July 14.
The program fee is $30. This provides each participant a T-shirt and entry in the Folkmoot 5K.
828.452.6789 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Robert Satterwhite will offer an introduction to Western North Carolina flyfishing at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in the community room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
The free program will help attendees identify the three types of trout found here and explain the basic rules for fishing streams in the national forests, national parks, and streams regulated by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Other topics will include the basic flies for trout fishing, basic knots and casting techniques. A question and answer session will follow Satterwhite’s remarks.
Satterwhite has been fishing trout streams in WNC all of his adult life. A retired English instructor at Southwestern Community College, he is a former outdoor columnist for the Asheville Citizen-Times and currently writes a monthly column on trout fishing for North Carolina Sportsman magazine. This program is co-sponored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.
828.586.2016.
The eighth-annual Nantahala Open will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at Nantahala Falls. Nantahala Open is for all boaters no matter their experience or ability.
The event is being put together by Endless River Adventures and Team Wave Sport.
This is not a “sponsored” event; the participants are typically Nantahala boaters and those who just enjoy a great day of fun on the river.
The Endless River team will be joined by Nantahala Open veteran and team wave sport leader Bryan Kirk and others. The group will coordinate the event from the launching pad at Nantahala Falls, with video cameras arranged to film open participants. Categories include such events as best freestyle through the falls, best top hole move and much more.
828.488.6199.
Ron Rash, bestselling author of Serena, will read from his newest novel at local bookstores April 14-15.
Rash will be at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 14. He will read at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 15.
His newest novel, The Cove, will be released in stores on April 10.
Rash, an American poet, short storywriter and novelist, is the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University. He has published three collections of poetry, three short story collections and four novels.
828.456.6000.
Getting books from the doctor will soon be a routine part of regular pediatric checkups.
Haywood Pediatrics recently joined the Reach Out and Read program, in which primary care providers advising parents about the importance of reading aloud and giving new developmentally appropriate books to children. The program begins at the six-month checkup and continues to age 5. It will be available for all patients at the Clyde and new Canton location at 55 Buckeye Road.
Research shows that children who participate in the program enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills and have a six-month developmental edge making them better prepared to achieve their potential.
Families interested in hosting a foreign exchange student can be matched with students from more than 60 countries through the company Ayusa.
All high school foreign exchange students are fully insured, bring their own spending money and are proficient in English – and all high school exchange programs are regulated by the U.S. Department of State.
Volunteer host families provide foreign exchange students a nurturing environment, three meals a day and a bedroom (either private or shared with a host sibling of the same gender). Each host family and student is supported by a professionally trained community representative who works with the family and student for the entire program. All interested host families must pass a criminal background check and a home visit by an exchange organization.
Interested host families are required to fill out an application, pass a background check and interview with a local exchange program representative in their homes. Once accepted to a program, host families can view profiles of students to find the right match for their family.
Ayusa is currently accepting applications for families to host an exchange student for the 2012-2013 school year.
1.888.552.9872 or www.ayusa.org
